Asbestos papers may be vital

Documents “saved from destruction” after the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum commenced court proceedings against the Cape asbestos manufacturer and supplier will be vital to future asbestos compensation cases, law firm Leigh Day reported last month.

It added that the documents provide “extraordinary evidence” that Cape knew the high risk of fatal cancer caused by the use and handling of Asbestolux, the trade name of an asbestos insulation board manufactured by Cape.

They also show the extent of its interference with government regulation of asbestos in the 1960s and 1970s.

Leigh Day partner Harminder Bains said she felt revulsion and anger on reading through the documents. They showed the company “deliberately withheld information and lobbied the government to protect their profits.

“As a result of their greed, many men and women, including my father, have lost their lives.”

The forum is demanding Cape donates £10 million towards mesothelioma research as an apology for “deliberate deception and shamelessly causing needless deaths, adding insult by vehemently defending cases”, said forum chair, Joanne Gordon.

https://www.leighday.co.uk/latest-updates/news/2022-news/asbestos-victims-support-groups-forum-uks-landmark-battle-for-historical-documents-reveal-that-cape-knew-of-the-dangers-of-asbestos-insulation-boardasbestolux